Protestdemonstrationen der Sorben – eine Form der politischen Kommunikation
Protest demonstrations by the Sorbs – a form of political communication

Summary/Abstract: Organisations representing national minorities give expression to their respective collective interests. The way this happens depends on the external political circumstances and the internal possibilities at the disposal of a particular organisation. The structures and means of communication in a pluralist democracy form the basis for the modern ways of exercising power, as is shown in European minorities policy. German unification in 1990 led in many fields to an extension of political activity. The Sorbs of Lusatia have since seen many examples of threats to their identity and have reacted to these in three fundamental situations: 1. the destruction of Sorbian and German-Sorbian villages as a result of lignite mining; 2. the cuts in the network of Sorbian schools in Saxony; 3. the reduction of financial resources for the Sorbian institutions by central government. The article describes demonstrations by Sorbs in Bautzen and Berlin in 2008, which represented a completely new form of dealing with national conflicts. Among other things, the question is raised about the political effectiveness of these communicative strategies.

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